_Two more!--The Gildersliene and Justina--Case of the Jabez Snow--The
barque Amazonian--Relieved of prisoners--A hint--The Talisman--Under
false colours--The Conrad--A nobler fate--Re-christened--The Tuscaloosa
commissioned--Short of provisions._
The 25th May witnessed the capture of the ship Gildersliene and the
barque Justina. The latter having a neutral cargo, was ransomed on a
bond for 7000 dollars; the former condemned and burned, after an
investigation terminating in the following decision:--
CASE OF THE GILDERSLIENE.
Ship under the United States colours and register. Charter-party with
Messrs. Halliday, Fox, and Co., of London, who describe themselves as
merchants and freighters, to make a voyage to Calcutta and back to
London or Liverpool. Cargo taken in at Sunderland, and consisting of
coal, said to be shipped for the "service of the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company," but not even averred to be on "their account
and risk." No certificate or other evidence of property; ship and cargo
condemned. Master knows nothing of property except what appears by the
papers.
* * * * *
_Friday, May 29th._--We had another chase last night from about 2 A.M.,
but with better success than the two previous nights, since at 7.30 A.M.
we came up with and captured the ship Jabez Snow, of Rockport, Maine.
Just at daylight, being within about four miles of her, we hoisted our
own colours, and fired a gun. She did not show any colours in return,
and stood a second gun before heaving to; she finally showed her
colours. Got on board from the prize a quantity of provisions and
cordage; transhipped the crew, and about sunset set her on fire. Found a
letter on board, the writer of which referred to American ships being
under a cloud "owing to dangers from pirates, more politely styled
privateers," which our kind friends in England are so willing "should
slip out of their ports to prey on our commerce." This letter was dated
Boston, November 25th, 1862.
CASE OF THE JABEZ SNOW.
Ship under United States colours, cargo coals, from Cardiff for Monte
Video. On the face of the bill of lading is the following: "We certify
that the cargo of coals per Jabez Snow, for which this is the bill of
lading, is the _bonâ fide_ property of Messrs. Wilson, Holt, Lane, &
Co., and that the same are British subjects and merchants; And also that
the coals are for their own use.
"JNO. POWELL & SONS."
As this certificate was not sworn to, it added no force to the bill of
lading, as every bill of lading is an unsworn certificate of the facts
it recites. There being no legal proof among the papers to contradict
the presumption that all property found under the enemy's flag is
enemy's property, and as the Master, who was the charterer and agent of
the ship, and whose duty it was to know about all the transactions in
which he was engaged, swore that he had no personal knowledge of the
owner of the cargo, except such as he derived from the ship's papers,
the cargo, as well as the ship, is condemned as prize of war. The
following significant extract from a letter of the Master to his owners,
dated Penrith Roads, April 19th, 1863, was found on board, though not
produced by the Master:--
"I have my bills of lading certified by the Mayor, that the cargo is
_bonâ fide_ English property. Whether this will be of any service to me
in the event of my being overhauled by a Southern pirate, remains to be
proved."
The certificate above recited seems, therefore, to have been procured by
the Master to protect his ship from capture, and not to have been a
spontaneous act of the pretended neutral owners to protect the cargo.
The cargo and advance freight were insured against war-risk, the ship
paying the premium. No effort was made by Wilson, Holt, Lane, & Co., to
protect the cargo, and they were the proper parties to make the oath.
The agent who shipped the coal for this firm, and who wrote the
above-quoted certificate, could only know, of course, that he had
shipped them by order of his principal. Why, then, did Wilson, Holt,
Lane, & Co., decline to make the necessary oath to protect the cargo?
They should have taken the necessary steps to protect either themselves
or the insurers, but they did no such thing. It would seem, probably,
that they were the agents of some American house, and that they could
not, in conscience, take the oath required by law.
* * * * *
The next prize was the Amazonian, of Boston, from New York to Monte
Video, captured, after a long chase, on the 2d of June, but not until
two blank shots had failed to bring her to, and the stronger hint of a
round from the rifled gun had convinced her of the impossibility of
escape.
* * * * *
CASE OF THE BARQUE AMAZONIAN.
Ship under United States colours; has an assorted cargo on board, and is
bound from New York to Monte Video. There are two claims of neutral
property--one for twenty cases of varnish and fifty casks of oil,
claimed as shipped on "account of Messrs. Galli & Co., French subjects."
This claim is sworn to by a Mr. Craig, before a notary. It does not aver
that the property is in Messrs. Galli & Co., but simply that it was
shipped "on their account." There is no outside evidence of the truth of
this transaction, as the master knows nothing about it.
* * * * *
Right glad was the Alabama to fall in, on the day after this last
capture, with an English brigantine, the master of which proved willing,
in consideration of a gift from Captain Semmes of one of his noble
collection of captured chronometers, to relieve him of the crowd of
prisoners with which he was encumbered. To the number of forty-one they
were forthwith transferred, along with a stock of provisions sufficient
for a fortnight's consumption; and the Alabama breathed freely again,
relieved of her disagreeable charge.
It may not be an uninstructive, and it is most assuredly an amusing
comment, upon the claims of neutrality so loudly insisted upon, to quote
the following extract from a New York letter, captured on board one of
the recent prizes. It is dated April 7th, and addressed to a
correspondent in Buenos Ayres:--
"When you ship in American vessels, it would be as well to have the
British Consul's certificate of English property attached to the bill of
lading and invoices; as in the event of falling in with the numerous
privateers, it would save both cargo and vessel, in all probability. An
American ship, recently fallen in with, was released by the Alabama on
account of a British Consul's certificate showing the greater part of
the cargo to be English property. If you ship in a neutral vessel, we
save five per cent, war insurances."
Another prize. The Talisman, a fine ship of 1100 tons, under United
States colours and register, with no claim of neutral property in cargo;
and before the glare of her funeral pyre had faded from the horizon,
another hove in sight, so evidently American, that notwithstanding the
English ensign flying at her peak, she was at once brought to and
boarded. And American she proved to be in her origin; but her owners had
been wise, and, so far as her papers went, she had been regularly
transferred to the protection of the British flag--humiliating, perhaps,
to the proud "Yankee nation," but effective as a precaution against
capture; though, had the Confederate cruiser been able to send her into
port for adjudication, the transfer might very possibly, when the
evidence came to be sifted, have proved but a "bogus transaction" after
all.
So the "Englishman" had to be released, consenting, however, to relieve
the Alabama of a prisoner and his wife, recently captured on board the
Talisman. A week passed away, and then came another instance of a
similar transfer under the strong pressure of fear, the whilom Yankee
barque Joseph Hall, of Portland, Maine, now seeking a humiliating safety
as the "British" Azzopadi, of Port Lewis, Isle of France!
Alas! for the Stars and Stripes, the Azzopadi was not hull down on the
horizon ere the once-renowned Yankee clipper Challenger lay humbly, with
her maintopsail to the mast, in the very place in which her countryman
had just been performing a similar penance, claiming, as the
British-owned Queen of Beauty, a similar immunity.
At last, however, as the impatient crew of the Alabama were beginning to
think that their enemy's flag had finally vanished from the face of the
ocean, an adventurous barque hove in sight, with the old familiar
bunting at her peak. She proved to be the Conrad, of Philadelphia, from
Buenos Ayres for New York, partly laden with wool, the ownership of
which was, as usual, claimed as neutral. On investigation, the claim
proved an evident-fabrication, the facts of the case being as follows:--
CASE OF THE CONRAD.
Ship under American colours and register. A Mr. Thomas Armstrong, who
describes himself as a British subject doing business at Buenos Ayres,
makes oath before the British Consul that a part of this wool belongs to
him and a part to Don Frederico Elortando, a subject of the Argentine
Republic. This may or may not be true, but the master is unable to
verify the document, he not having been present when it was prepared,
and not knowing any thing about it. There is, besides, so strong a
current of American trade with Buenos Ayres, that the presumption is,
from the very fact that this wool was going to New York in an American
barque, under the imminency of capture, which our presence in these
seas--well known at Buenos Ayres when the barque sailed--must have
shown, that the property is American, and that the certificate is an
attempt to cover it; Mr. Armstrong probably being a brother or a partner
in the transaction with some American house. Ship and cargo condemned.
* * * * *
FURTHER EXAMINATION OF CASE OF CONRAD.
From an examination of the correspondence in this case, brought on board
after the ship's papers had been examined, it appeared that Mr.
Armstrong, the party shipping a part of the cargo, swears before _his_
consul that he and one Don Frederico Elortando, are the _owners_ of the
property, and swears before the United States Consul that he is the sole
_owner_ of the property. Both of these oaths cannot be true. It further
appears that, whilst the property in the bill of lading is consigned to
Simon de Visser, Esq., in the letters of Messrs. Kirkland and Von Sachs
it is spoken of as consigned to them. The letters make no mention of any
joint-ownership with Armstrong, but treat the consignment as his sole
property. But though, like so many of her countrymen, condemned, the
Conrad was not to die. A nobler fate was in store for her--no less a
destiny than that of carrying the proud young flag to which she had
succumbed, and taking the sea, under a new name, as the consort of her
captor. Accordingly, Acting-Lieutenant Low was appointed to the command,
assisted by Acting-Master Sinclair and two master's mates. The two
rifled pounders captured in the Talisman were mounted on board, a due
complement of rifles, revolvers, ammunition, &c., supplied, and then the
transformed barque fired her first gun, ran up the Confederate ensign to
her peak, and amid a burst of cheering from her own crew and that of her
consort, made a fresh start in life as the Confederate States
sloop-of-war Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama was now bound for the Cape of Good Hope, where her faithful
tender, the Agrippina, was again to meet her. On the 27th of June,
however, when in lat. 20.01 S., long. 28.29 W., it was discovered that a
great portion of the supposed month's supply of bread had been destroyed
by weevils, and that there was not enough left for the run. A visit to
some port nearer at hand thus became inevitable, and the ship's course
was accordingly shaped for Rio Janeiro.